Urban Legend-Based Period Film Seeks Backers at All Levels
Ominous, directed by Lorenzo P. Adams and produced by Seth Scofield will officially launch its Indiegogo campaign today. The film seeks to raise $5,000 for filming that will take place December 2nd - 5th in Richmond, Virginia. Backer opportunities are available at all levels including limited producer level opportunities.
We may view urban legends today as trite and sentimental. These “friend of a friend” macabre stories, polished or pock-marked over the years with updated, timely details or absurd twists have cemented their place in our cannon of American folklore.
Kidney heists, Bloody Mary, alligators in the sewer: all resonate tales because in their lack of specificity they become eerily plausible, and we recognize a familiar predicament—one we’d dread.
Ominous is based on classic, “The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs” tale. However, this story is not based on spurious, slightly removed accounts. In true form to what makes this genre particularly terrifying and has instilled its longevity—it really happened. On March 18, 1950 Janet Christman was brutally murdered while she babysat. Ominous, set in 1965, is loosely based on this tragic event.
Director and Writer Lorenzo Adams explains his impetus for creating the film, “I've always been infatuated with things of the macabre, things that terrify us as human beings and terrors that have a touch of reality. Ominous is based on an urban legend that dates back to the 1950's. This story in my opinion is one of the first kind of home invasion horrors that predates films like The Strangers, Straw Dawgs, and Wait Until Dark. It birthed the horrifying reveal that gave many of us nightmares and questions as to if we were really safe within our own homes. Reality is one of the roots of true horror.”
Director of Photography Tyler Townsend and Production Designer Joyce Ha Young Oh are diligently working to create a look that honors the period with classical lighting, vintage lenses, and a specific adherence to color palette designed to beckon Postwar America.
The film is anticipated to premiere March 2016 in Washington, D.C.
To find out more about Ominous or join our team of backers, please visit ominousmovie.com. The Indiegogo campaign will run through November 22nd. View the teaser here.